Liquid dispensing apparatus



Feb. 1941- G. L. TONE EI'AL 2,230,603

LIQUID DI SPENS ING APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1938 W/T/VEKSS: 62 7'2 4 Wm 6 4. 37 71-742 Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS George L. Tone, Wallingford, and George A. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to Sun Oil Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1938, Serial No. 199,640

1 Claim. (Cl. 221-95) The present invention relates to fluid dispensnal operating mechanism embodied in the pr sing apparatus and more particularly it relates ent invention.

to gasoline pumps of the type ordinarily used at Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the signal operservice stations. ating mechanism and In order to prevent fraud in the operation of Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 5-4 of 5 such pumps it is desirable that means he provided Fig. 3. whereby suitable warning will be given to the As shown in the drawing the numeral I desi customer if the indicating device on the pump nates the casing of an ordinary service station was not set at zero when delivery of gasoline is pump which consists of a motor operated pump started. (not shown) by means of which liquid is drawn w Most of the existing devices for accomplishing from a reservoir, generally an underground tank, this result consist of an interlock between the and forced through a meter 2 and thence through zeroizing device used to return the register to a hose 3 to a trigger operated dispensing nozzle zero and the switch for starting the motor which 4. The amount of gasoline dispensed is measured operates the pump, or of an interlock between the by the meter 2 and some function of the quan- 35 zeroizing device and a valve in the liquid distity of gasoline dispensed, either the number of pensing outlet. In all these zeroizing devices gallons dispensed or the cost of the same, is comit is impossible, once the nozzle has been reputed and registered by the computor unit 5 cpturned to the hook at the end of one dispensing erated by the meter shaft, the computor unit 5 operation to again deliver gasoline after the having suitable mechanism for actuating a plum nozzle has been removed from the hook at the rality of numeral wheels l0 which are visible start of a succeeding dispensing operation before through a window in the pump casing and which the register has been reset to zero. While this may be reset to zero at the completion of a delivprevents the station operator from having a cry operation by turning the zeroizing crank 26.

25 register indicate a greater quantity of liquid than The exact details of the construction of the pump actually has been dispensed to a given customer, and its various elements are not shown since it has a disadvantage in that when the operator these form no part of the present invention per hangs up the hook and a customer then decides se, the pump merely being a standard service that he wishes more gasoline the operator must station gasoline pump and the various elements 30 reset his register to zero before any further quanbeing arranged in the common and well known tity of gasoline can be dispensedso that in this manner therein. I case the final reading of the register is not the A hook 6 extending through the pump casing total quantity of gasoline dispensed but is mereis provided for receiving the nozzle 4 when not ly the amount which the customer decides he in use. This hook is pivoted on a pin 1 and two 85 wishes added to that first delivered to him. lugs 8 and 9 are provided on its inner end. A

It is therefore an object of the present invenmercury switch 25 is mounted on hook 6 and is tion to provide a zero interlock for gaso ine adapted to close the electric circuit through wires pumps which is positive in operation and simple 23 and 24 leading to a motor for operating the o in construction and which will give ample warnpump thus initiating the operation of the pump 0 ing to the customer in case the pump has not when the outer end of the hook 6 is raised. been set to zero before delivery of gasoline is A plurality of numeral wheels III are shown. started, but which nevertheless will permit the These wheels are operated by the computor delivery of additional quantities of gasoline when mechanism from the meter and indicate some a necessary without the necessity of resetting the function, either the price or the gallonage, of the pump to zero. liquid dispensed through the nozzle 4 as hereto- A further object of our invention is to provide fore stated. The operating mechanism for these a signal device the operation of which is conwheels is not shown since such mechanism is well trolled directly by the position of the indicating known in the art. Two bars II and I! are supdevice. Other and further objects will be apported and pivoted on a rod l3 secured within 50 parent as the description progresses. the pump casing. Both of these bars are adapted Referring to the drawing to be contacted by the inclined lug 8 and the bar Fig. 1 is a representation of a gasoline pump in H is adapted to be contacted by the inclined lug elevation. 9. A hole I4 is provided at a pre-determined po Fig. 2 is a detail of the numeral wheels and sigsition in each of the numeral wheels l0 so that when the zero indicia on each of these wheels is visible through the window provided for this purpose in the pump casing, the holes M in wheels III are opposite and in registry with pins l5 secured to bar II. The bar II is pressed inwardly by spring I6 secured .to rod l3 and has an upstanding projection l'l thereon which is adapted to contact the bar l2. A flag I8 preferably of dark colored transparent material is pivoted on a pin I9 and is adapted to swing down so as to cover the window through which the wheels ID are visible. The flag I8 is so positioned that it is adapted to be supported by inner end of hook 6 or by an upstanding projection 20 on bar l2. A mercury switch 2| is secured to flag l8 and is adapted to close the circuit to an alarm bell 22 when the flag is down.

The operation of the device will now be described in detail. As shown in the drawing, the nozzle 4 is on hook 6 and therefore the outer end the hook is in its lowermost position while the inner end is in its uppermost position; With the hook in this position the flag I8 is supported in its raised position by end of hook 6 and the lug 8 contacting bars I l and I2 has swung these bars outwardly so that the projection 20 on bar I2 is removed from under the flag l8 and pins IS on bar II are held away from the wheels In. Assuming that it is now desired to deliver gasoline the attendant must remove the nozzle 4 from the hook 6 and push the outer end of hook 6 upwardly so as to close the circuit through lines 23 and 24 and mercury switch 25 on the hook to the motor operating the pump. Raising the outer end of hook 6 will of course \lower the inner end of the hook and since the bar II is pressed inwardly by spring I6 the bar II will tend to slide inv along inclined lug 8 and if the numeral wheels II) are in zero position, the pinsl5 on bar II will enter the holes H in wheels l0 and therefore the bar II will swing completely in and, upstanding projection l'l thereon will press against bar I2 and swing this inwardly so that projection 28 thereon will be swung under the flag l8 and will support this flag in its raised position when the inner end of hook 6 has been completely lowered. As the inner end of the hook falls the inclined lug 9 thereon will contact bar II and push this bar outwardly thereby pulling the pins l5 out of the holes I and thus leaving the wheels free to be rotated. In the event that one or more of the numeral wheels III are not in zero position, it is apparent that one or more of pins l5 will not be in registry with corresponding hole It in these wheels, therefore, as the inner'end of hook 6 falls the spring l6 will press the bar I I inwardly, but is prevented from swinging completely in by the pins l5 contacting the face of the wheels l0 so that this bar does not swing in far enough for the projection l'l thereon to swing the bar l2 and thus swing the projection 20 thereon under the flag 18 so that the flag l8 will now swing downwardly, since the support of the hook 6 is removed, and cover the window, thereby giving warning to the customer that the pump has not been set to zero before the motor is started.

When the flag is in its lowermost position the circuit through the mercury switch 2| to the bell 22 is closed and therefore the bell will ring and give additional warning to both the customer and the attendant that the pump has not been set to zero. In order to remove the flag it will be necessary for the attendant to again pull down the outer end of hook 6 thereby raising its inner end and then move the numeral wheels to zero after which when the outer end of the hook is again raised the pins IS in bar ll may enter the holes M in wheels [0 and therefore as heretofore explained the projection 20 on bar l2 will be swung under the flag l8 and will hold this flag in its raised position.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that we have provided a device which will give a warning in the event that the indicating device on the pump is not cleared before delivery of gasoline is started and that we have provided such a device. which is directly controlled by the position of the indicating 'means on the .pump. While one specific embodiment of the present invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is apparent that various modifications may be made therein, and that it may be adapted-to other types and styles of pumps without depa rt-. ing from the spirit of this inventionor from the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim and desire to protect .by Let'- ters Patent is: w

In a fluid dispensing apparatus having indicating mechanism for indicating some function of the fluid dispensed, means for returning said in. dicating mechanism to zero position, a casing sur-' rounding said mechanism and having a window therein through which the progressive indicia displayed by said mechanism are visible, and a dispensing nozzle, the combination of a support for said nozzle pivotally mounted on said casing and adapted to assume one position when said nozzle is on said support and to assume a different position when said nozzle is off said support,

a flag supported by said nozzle support when said GEORGE L. TONE. GEORGE A. SMITH. 

